^64 







K-- 






Bbwin a. /Ifterritt Jr. 



ptoceebings of tbe Xegtslature 



of tbe 



State of mew l^otl; 



on tbe 



Xife ant) public Services 



of 



Ebwin H. /Iftertitt Jr. 

Speaker of tbe Hssemblu 
•Representative In Conaress 

bcK> at tbe 
Capftol, Hlbans, mew 13orh 



^IClc^ncs5ap Evening, 5anuar^ 20, 1915 






3. ». Xten Compsn? 


prtntcrs 




1915 




9161 CI 


a3J 


D. of 


D. 


FEB 13 


1916 






N 



"fln flDemodam 



Ebwin H, /Ifterdtt 5t* 

Speaker of tbe assembly? 
IRcpresentative in Conoreee 



Un Hssemblie 

Januatg 6, 1915 




R. SEAKER offered for the considera- 
tion of the House a resolution in the 
words following : 

Resolved, That the Assembly of the State of 
New York enter upon its record this meager and 
unsatisfactory expression of the irreparable loss sus- 
tained by this State, and the inexpressible sorrow and 
regret of his former associates, in the death of Hon. 
Edwin A. Merritt Jr., member of Congress from the 
thirty-first district and late Speaker of the Assembly. 

Resolved, That when the Assembly adjourns 
this day it be in respect to his memory. 

Mr. Speaker put the question whether the 
House would agree to said resolution and it was 
determined in the affirmative by a unanimous rising 
vote. 

Mr. Everett offered for the consideration of the 
House a resolution in the words following: 

Resolved, That a memorial service for the late 
Edwin A. Merritt Jr., former Speaker of this House, 
be held in the Assembly Chamber, Wednesday even- 

7 



tin flDcmorlam 

ing, January 20tli, and tliat the Speaker appoint a 
committee of five to arrange for and conduct said 
memorial service. 

Mr. Speaker put the question whether the 
House would agree to said resolution and it was 
determined in the affirmative, a majority of all the 
members elected to the Assembly voting in favor 
thereof, three-fifths being present. 

Pursuant to resolution Mr. Speaker appointed 
Messrs. Everett of St. Lawrence, Hinman of Albany, 
Maier of Seneca, Brereton of Warren, Kerrigan of 
New York, a committee to arrange for and con- 
duct a memorial service for the late Edwin A. 
Merritt Jr. 

Pursuant to resolution Mr. Speaker declared 
the House adjourned until Wednesday, January 
13th, at 8 o'clock, P. M., in respect to the memory 
of the late Edwin A. Merritt Jr. 



IptoceeblnGS of the 
Xegtslature 



Iptoceebtnos 




SSEMBLY CHAMBER, State Capitol, 
Albanj', N. Y., Wednesday evening, 
January 20, 1915, 8:00 p. m. Hon. 
Thaddeus C. Sweet, Speaker of the Assembly, 
presiding. 

In the presence of Honorable Charles S. Whit- 
man, Governor of the State of New York, and the 
Members of the Senate and Assembly. 

Speaker Sweet : 

Prayer will be offered by the Rev. W. J. Hamil- 
ton of Potsdam, N. Y. 

Reverend Hamilton: 

We will read a part of the Ninetieth Psalm: 

Lord, thou hast been our refuge; from one 
generation to another. Before the mountains were 
brought forth, or ever the earth and the world 
were made; thou art God from everlasting, and 
world without end. Thou turnest man to destruc- 
tion: again thou sayest. Come again, ye children of 
men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but 
as yesterday; seeing that is past as a watch in the 
night. As soon as thou scatterest them they are 
even as asleep: and fade away suddenly like the 
grass. In the morning it is green, and groweth up: 
but in the evening it is cut down, dried up, and 
withered. For we consume away in thy displeasure: 
and are afraid at thy wrathful indignation. Thou 

11 



In HDcmoriam 

hast set our misdeeds before thee; and our secret sins 
in the light of thy countenance. For when thou art 
angry all our days are gone: we bring our years to 
an end, as it were a tale that is told. The days 
of our age are three score years and ten ; and though 
men be so strong that they come to fourscore years : 
yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow: 
so soon passeth it away, and we are gone. O, teach 
us to number our days: that we may apply our 
hearts unto wisdom. 

So endeth the lesson. Let us i)ray. 

Direct, Oh Lord, in this and all our doings A\ith 
Thy most gracious favor, and further us with Thy 
continual help that in this and all our works, begun, 
continued and ended in Thee, we may always glorify 
Thy holy name, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. 

Oh, Merciful God, the Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the Life; 
in whom whosoever believeth. shall live, though he 
die; and whosoever liveth and believeth in Him. shall 
not die eternally; who also hath taught us, by His 
holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men 
without hope, for those who sleep in Him. We 
humbly beseech Thee, O Father, to raise us from 
the death of sin unto the life of righteousness ; that, 
when we shall depart from this life, we may rest in 
Him; and that, at the general resurrection in the last 
day, we may be found acceptable in Thy sight and 
receive that blessing which Thy well-beloved Son 
shall then pronounce to all who love and fear Thee, 
saying, Come, ye blessed children of my Father, 

12 



fit)vpin H. riDcrritt 3r. 

receive the kingdom prepared for you from the 
beginning of the world. Grant this, we beseech Thee, 
O, merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. 

Oh, most merciful Father, who hast been pleased 
to take unto Thyself the soul of our brother : Grant to 
us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk 
as yet by faith, that having served Thee with con- 
stancy on earth, we may be joined hereafter with 
Thy blessed saints in glory everlasting ; through Jesus 
Christ, Our Lord. 

Oh Lord, who by Thy death didst take away the 
sting of death: grant unto us Thy servants so to 
follow in faith where Thou hast led the way, that 
we may at length fall asleep peacefully in Thee, and 
awake after Thy likeness ; through Thy mercy, who 
livest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, 
world without end. 

O God, whose days are without end and whose 
mercies cannot be numbered, make us, we beseech 
Thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty 
of human life, and let Thy holy spirit lead us through 
this valley of misery in holiness and righteousness all 
the days of our lives, that, when we shall have served 
Thee in our generation, we may be gathered unto our 
fathers, having the testimony of a good conscience, 
in the confidence of a certain faith, in the comfort of 
a reasonable religious and holy hope, in favor with 
Thee, our God, and in perfect charity with the world. 
And all we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

13 



In nDcmorlam 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy 
name ; Thy kinfjdom come. Thy will be done on earth 
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, 
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who 
trespass against us. And lead us not into temi)tation; 
but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, 
and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

Speakek Sweet: 

Those who were associated with him as a Mem- 
ber of Assembly, who served under his helpful direc- 
tion as Speaker, and those who are familiar with 
his faithful and intelligent service in the State and 
National Legislatures, meet to night to honor the 
memory of Edward A. Merritt Jr. 

Those who served with him can bear witness to 
his high qualities of mind and heart, and to his charm- 
ing personality which drew around him at all times a 
band of faithful and admiring friends, and which 
endeared him to all his jissociates. Possessed of great 
mental vigor and physical strength, he used to the best 
of advantage in his long service in the Assembly and in 
the House of Representatives, his intellectual powers 
in the highest interests of the SUite and of the Nation. 

We cannot lose sight of such a man, the work he 
j)erformed or the influence he exerted upon the inter- 
ests and activities of the commonwealth. He had 
a wide knowledge of the affairs of State. He 
was interested in its financial, commercial and edu- 

14 



£&win H. fIDcrritt 3r. 

cational welfare, was always active in promoting all 
measures which had for their object the uplift of the 
people, and throughout his legislative career was a 
faithful and energetic public servant. 

He exerted an influence among his associates 
which they will long remember, and all who believe 
in the power of education and honor to advance the 
integrity, usefulness and power of good citizenship, 
will cherish his memory and hold his example in 
loving remembrance. It is character only which 
lives, and his character, combined with honorable 
public service, cannot be forgotten. 



»a>5 
Selection, "Lead, Kindly Light," by Double 
Quartette, composed of the following: Sopranos, 
Mrs. Charlotte Bord Gilbert, Miss Alice E. Taylor ; 
Contraltos, Mrs. Edith Cleghorn Weaver, Mrs, Edna 
Herrick Peck; Tenors, Ben Franklin, George W. 
Franklin; Bassos, Hoy H. Palmer, John N. Edwards. 

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom. 

Lead Thou me on ! 

The night is dark, and I am far from home. 

Lead Thou me on ! 

Keep Thou my feet 1 I do not ask to see 

The distant scene ; one step enough for me. 

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou 

Shouldst lead me on ; 

I loved to choose and see my path ; but now 

Lead Thou me on I 

I loved the garish day ; and, spite of fears 

Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years. 

15 



In HDcmortam 

So long Thy power has blest ine, sure it still 

Will lead me on 

O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till 

The night is gone ; 

And with the morn those angel faces smile, 

Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile. 

Speaker Sweet: 

It has been the purpose of your Committee to 
conduct the exercises of the evening in harmony with 
the life led by our departed brother and friend, and 
we have invited as the speakers of the evening his 
former and closest associates. I take great pleasure 
in presenting to you the first speaker of the evening, 
Hon. Frank L. Young. 

Mk. Young: 

Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen: Memorial 
services are as old as recorded history, and even in 
the days before written history, the memory of lead- 
ing men in every land and every clime was perpetu- 
ated in the manner characteristic of their country. 

In his oration on the xVthenian dead. Pericles, 
after speaking eloquently on tlie characteristics of his 
country, the elements which had made it great, and 
the sources of its strength, stated of the men who 
were being memorialized, the honored dead, "Such 
did these men prove themselves, as became the char- 
acter of their countr)'." 

In every land there is an ideal manhood, ex- 
pressed or unexpressed. This ideal is composite, 

10 



iet)win a. riDerritt 3r. 

made up of the opinions of all the different grades of 
men, and of every school of thought, and yet is, on 
the whole, capable of definition. 

The man who receives honor is the man whose 
life and work are most consonant with the ideal of 
the country in which he lives. To be true to such 
an ideal means honor and renown. In no land has 
such honor ever been purchased by wealth. It comes 
alone from service, self-sacrifice and patriotic devo- 
tion to duty. In . every land honor and renown are 
accorded to every citizen who fills his life with ser- 
vice, self-sacrifice and patriotism, in any walk of life, 
public or private, civil or martial. 

No one can point out the source of the American 
ideal of manhood. Like our people, our ideals seem 
to have been drawn from every part of the civilized 
globe. In them are to be discerned the religious 
teachings of all denominations, the self-sacrifice of 
the early founders of our Republic who were will- 
ing to endure anything that they might enjoy free- 
dom of conscience, and the courage and bravery of 
the early colonists whose bold patriotism compelled 
them to take up arms to fight for a place where their 
ideals might be worked out in human conduct. 

From whatever source this well-recognized 
American spirit came, in these days and times it 
expresses itself in self-reliance, fair play and the giv- 
ing of equal opportunity. We visualize the Ameri- 
can ideal in the self-reliant man, who asks no favors, 

17 



In ni>cmoriam 

but demands an opportunity as his right; in the self- 
sacriticing man, who is wiUing to spend and be spent 
that good may prevail; and in the patriotic man, 
who, under Heaven, finds his country's demand 
superior and undeniable. 

The American ideal demands honesty, clean liv- 
ing, fair dealing, equal oi)portunity to all, industry 
and devotion to her institutions, and the American 
citizen who is true to that ideal, who is alert, active, 
unrestrained, and devoted in the performance of his 
duty, the American people have always crowned and 
will always continue to crown with honor. 

And as men who have lived consistently and 
honorably up to that ideal pass away, the hearts of 
the American people are proud to acknowledge their 
service with the highest mejusure of praise, and, 
whether or not their memorials consist of statues or 
other material constructions, they earn and they pos- 
sess an indestructible memorial in the hearts and 
affections of the American people. 

We are now observing a simple memorial ser- 
vice, in appreciation of a really great man. who was 
more than a friend to many in this chamber who 
grieve with his honored father and his gracious wife 
and lovely daughter in their sorrow and affliction. 

It is not an empty, formal service, but it is a 
sincere and spontiineous expression of esteem from 
his personal and political associates. His great soul 
has passed to "that bourne from which no traveler 

18 



jebwin a. riDerritt 3r. 

returns." We have gathered in honor of his mem- 
ory, because we appreciated and loved him. Weakly, 
we say that Edwin A. Merritt Jr., is dead — weakly, 
because in the friendships he established he is not 
dead, nor has his enduring work for the State of 
New York been diminished by his demise. We 
remember him for his wonderful powers of body, 
brain and heart which he consecrated without limit 
to his friends and to his State. 

We remember him because he was an intensely 
human, big-brained, bighearted man. 

We remember him because he fulfilled and 
represented the very clear and definite ideal which 
the American people accept as the best expression 
in human form of American manhood. 

This ideal is beautifully and eloquently expressed 
in the metrical prayer of John G. Holland: 

God, Give us men ! A time like this demands 
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready 

hands ; 
Men whom the lust of office does not kill ; 
Men whom the spoils of office can not buy; 
Men who possess opinions and a will, 
Men who love honor, men who will not lie; 
Men who can stand before a demagogue. 
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking ; 
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog 
In public duty and in private thinking ; 
For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds. 
Their large professions and their little deeds. 
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps. 
Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice sleeps 1 



/ 



Tin fiDemoriam 

The salvation and the benefits of the American 
RepubUc depend upon the fact that from time to 
time, in various places, exemplars of the ^Vmerican 
ideal appear to give substantial proof that our insti- 
tutions and our laws are not bjised upon hopes that 
are impossible of human achievement. Edwin A. 
Merritt Jr. is one such exemplar. 

Useful and inspiring as were the lives of Wash- 
ington and Lincoln to their own times, they have 
been more useful and more inspiring to the American 
people since 

They gave back their honors to the world. 
Their better part to heaven, and slept in peace. 

For the generations which succeeded them have 
drawn, are still drawing, and will continue to draw, 
useful inspiration from their works and their char- 
acters. 

Doubtless history will not record the name of 
Edwin A. Merritt .Ir. as high on the roll of fame :is 
the name of \V\ashington stands, but it is true, never- 
theless, that Mr. Merritt solved greater financial 
problems than ever confronted our first President; 
and in that work for his State, his rugged lionesty, 
his spotless integrity and his magnanimous unselfish- 
ness were as great as those of the " Fatiier of His 
Country." 

Nor will his name appear on the pages of Ameri- 
can history as luminous as that of Abraham Lincoln, 
and yet it is a fact that in his discernment, his meas- 

20 



je^win a. flDerritt 3r. 

ure of men, his hatred of sham and hypocrisy, his 
faith in the American people, his courage while 
under attack, and in the humor which saves, he was 
not so unlike that martyred President. 

God forbid that we should be fulsome in this 
service, for our deceased friend was a plain, truth- 
telling man, to whom such praise would have been 
abhorrent, but those of us who knew him best in his 
public life, accord to him as high a place as any other 
statesman who ever gave his services to the State of 
New York. 

Entering the Assembly in 1902, he gave eleven 
years of his life to the State, and in his last year he 
was the Speaker. During four of those years I 
knew him intimately, and counselled and advised 
with him about many topics of great importance. 
Without meaning to draw invidious comparisons, I 
want to say that in my opinion he had a more com- 
prehensive and accurate knowledge of the State's 
affairs than any other man connected with the State 
government in those days. His great brain was a 
veritable storehouse of information, and, regardless 
of physical consequences, he devoted all his mental 
powers unselfishly and without stint to his public 
duty. 

He came to the Legislature in his mature years, 
in the plenitude of his physical and intellectual 
powers, and he immediately rose to first rank among 
the lawmakers of the State. It is not too much to say 

21 



"Hn fiDcmorlam 

that in all the recent constructive legislation in this 
State, his was a guiding, if not a controlling, hand. 

But in addition to these great mental powers, 
the possession of which has always been conceded by 
those who knew him, he possessed other attributes 
which made him a positive and beneficent force 
among his associates. Among these traits was his 
great magnanimity. Even in the heat of conflict, he 
was generous to his opponents, caring nothing for 
the adventitious issues, but always looking forward 
to the accomplishment of his purposes with a firm 
reliance in their righteousness. 

It was easy, too, for him to make acknowledg- 
ment of the assistance of others, and to give full 
credit to all to whom credit was due, notwithstand- 
ing the fact that his own prestige might not seem so 
great by so doing. He seemed able to forget and 
forgive everything except meanness and littleness of 
soul. But even for such men he almost invariably 
exhibited a tolerant charity. 

He was never known to tear down the reputa- 
tion of another that his own reputation might be 
thereby enhanced, a somewhat exceptional record in 
these days of self-constituted professional reformers. 

Friendship was to him a sacred thing, to be 
cherished and not to be lightly forfeited. I well 
remember an occasion when the fortunes of one of 
his friends, who is even now in this company, were 
being discussed. A bitter attack wjis made upon his 

22 



jEDwin H. HDerritt 3r. 

friend, and after listening patiently to the arraign- 
ment Mr. Merritt said, with more feeling than was 
usual with him, ' ' That man may be all you say 
he is, but I do not believe it. Whether he is or 
not, is of no consequence to me. He is my friend. 
That may mean much or little to you, but it means a 
lot to me, and I will hear nothing further about him. " 

This is one instance only of the tenacity and 
sincerity of his friendship. In feet, 1 never knew 
him to be severe except when dealing with a fakir or 
a hypocrite ; with his keen insight into the intricacies 
of human conduct, he was never deceived by them, 
and with remarkable swiftness he could dissect their 
flattering and deceitful propositions and expose their 
insincerity in all its nakedness. 

In such circumstances, his wit and humor were 
as keen as a rapier, and many a time have I witnessed 
the discomfiture and defeat of a fraud by the simple 
telling of a story which illustrated his point. 

He was well adapted by nature and training for 
the very highest legislative and executive offices. I 
believe that circumstances prevented a proper recog- 
nition of his wonderful powers. He knew perfectly 
well the enmities he created by plainness of speech, 
which to him seemed necessary. He knew that in 

public life 

Men will hate thee. 
Men will love thee; 
Men will flatter. 
Men will slight, 

23 



Tin fiDemoriam 

but looked upon all his experiences as merely neces- 
sary, temporary incidents, and kept true to the spirit 
that was wthin him. He was willing at all times to 
pay the price of his popularity whenever he felt the 
justice of his cause. 

In this brief manner I have summarized the 
characteristics of our deceased friend, as I saw him and 
understood him. He was a trul}' great man, worthy 
of all the best traditions of American manhood, 
entitled to full praise for the self-sacrificing and 
efficient service which he gave to our State. May 
his example be a stimulus to all of us, to prepare for 
that practical patriotism which gives service as well 
as tribute to the State! 

Long may the memory ot our great associate 
remain among us for the betterment and improve- 
ment of the American commonwealth. True to his 
times, and true to himself, he performed his fullest 
obligations, both as a man and as a citizen. 

The frii lully social, honest man, 

Wiiate'cr he be, 
'Tis he fuKills great nature's plan, 

And nane but he. 

The State has lost a capable servant and may 
well mourn for him; but the keenest loss is felt 
among those who i)crsonally enjoyed tlie honor of his 
friendsliip and the inspiration of his character. 

We shall remember him jls 

One who never turned his back, hut marched breast 
forward, 

24 



lE^win a. fiDerritt 3r. 

Never doubted clouds would break, 

Never dream'd though right were worsted, wrong 

would triumph; 
Held, we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep 

to wake. 

Selection by double quartette, " Crossing the 
Bar": 

Sunset and evening star. 

And one clear call for me ! 

And may there be no moaning of the bar 

When I put out to sea. 

But such a tide as moving seems asleep 

Too full for sound and foam 

When that which drew from out the boundless deep 

Turns again home. 

Twilight and evening bell 

And after that the dark ! 

And may there be no sadness of farewell. 

When I embark; 

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place 

The flood may bear me far, 

I hope to see my pilot face to face 

When I have crossed the bar. 

Speaker Sweet: 

Men in all walks of life may oppose one another, 
whether it be commercially or politically, but, though 
opposed, they may still be friends. I take pleasure 
in presenting to you the next speaker of the evening, 
the political opponent but the fast friend. Honorable 
Alfred E. Smith. 

25 



In nDemoriam 

Mr. Smith: 

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: I feel 
very deeply honored to be permitted to speak a 
word at this memorial service to our late lamented 
friend and comrade. Edwin A. Merritt .Jr. I met 
him in 1904 when I entered this chamber for the 
first time. He was then a prominent member of 
the majority side of the House. I served with him 
through the years until 1912, when he was elected 
Speaker, and in that time 1 developed for him as 
strong an affection as it is possible for one man to 
have for another, not of his own relationship. His 
many noble qualities of heart and mind endeared 
him to every man who sat in this Chamber with 
him, and it is gratifying to see so many of them 
here to-night from all parts of the State to join in 
this gathering and to do honor to his memory. 

In the memoirs of his distinguished father. I 
read this passage from the retrospect: "Without 
boasting I can truly say that in a long life wliich 
has not been free from many contests I have never 
knowingly taken imfair advantage of my opponents, 
and if I have fought hard I have fought fairly." 
I thought, as I read, how forcibly this trait was 
impressed on the life and character of Edwin A. 
Merritt .Ir. He wils a strong partisan. He believed 
very firmly in the principles and precepts of the 
Republican party. IJut he j)ut the good of the 
State first atid supported any measure which he 

26 



je&win a. fIDerritt 3r. 

believed to be in the interest of the commonweal. 
He was a forceful orator, and drew the sword of 
debate with as much strength and vigor as any 
man who ever stood on this floor, and, better than 
all, he left behind no sting — no bitterness. 

He was a good friend. His friendship was 
really worth having. He helped me to success when 
my failure may have meant something of advantage 
to his party. Public life makes many fair weather 
friends. Many there are who shake your hand and 
pat your back when you are in the heyday of your 
power; but Merritt's fiiendship was of the kind that 
was much stronger when the clouds of political adver- 
sity frowned upon you. He had a smile and a good 
word for everybody, from the highest to the lowest, 
who were connected with the busy life of the Capitol. 

He loved the great State that he served so 
faithfully. He loved to talk of its future greatness. 
He knew it better than any man I ever met, and 
was more at home in the Assembly than in the 
larger field of activity to which he was called by 
an admiring constituency. He knew the Legislature 
thoroughly — ^its methods — its habits of thought — 
and no man more jealously guarded its prerogatives. 
He had the most profound respect for its authority 
as a branch of the government and an inflexible 
belief in the ultimate rectitude of its purposes. 

Time there is indeed, and I could spend it in 
the memory of " Ed." Time and time again he 

27 



in fiDemoriam 

asked me to go up and stay at Potsdam wliere he 
might show to me what he called "Our Great 
North Country." It shall always be to me a matter 
of regret that I did not see the little village until I 
found it plunged in mourning the day of his funeral 
— its business places darkened and the countryside 
gathered in it to pay tribute to his memory. I 
brought with me my oldest son and I gave him a 
copy of the Red Hook of 1912, asking him to always 
remember what it was that brought him on his first 
long journey from home. 

I could talk through the night about Ed. Mer- 
ritt and all that I could say would be inadequate to 
express what I really thought of him. I will con- 
clude, therefore, leaving with you this thought: 
Almighty God asks nothing for nothing, and when 
we in our prayers to-night said to Him, Thy will be 
done on earth as it is in Heaven — if we meant that 
— if it came from the heart — He will respond with 
a balm for every wound and a joy to balance every 
sorrow, and He gives to us to-night in an hour of 
affliction abundant consolation in that almost univer- 
sal belief that Divine Providence makes all things 
equal and solves for the just man the mystery of 
death as life everlasting. 



28 



jet)wln H. fiDerritt 3r. 

Selection by the double quartette, "Peace, 
Perfect Peace ' ' : 

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin? 
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within. 

Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed? 
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest. 

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrow surging round? 
On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found. 

Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away? 
In Jesus' keeping, we are safe, and they. 

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown? 
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne. 

Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours? 
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers. 

It is enough, earth's struggles soon shall cease, 
And Jesus call us to heaven's perfect peace. 



Speaker Sweet: 

Side by side, shoulder to shoulder, fighting the 
battles of State, stood Edwin A. Merritt Jr., and 
James W. Wadsworth Jr. As his closest associate 
and constant counsellor, I present to you at this time, 
Honorable James W. Wadsworth Jr. 

Mr. Wadsworth: 

Mr. Speaker, Members of the Legislature, 
Ladies and Gentlemen : The invitation to say some- 
thing of the life and public services of Edwin A. 
Merritt Jr., upon this occasion and in this presence 

29 



Hn fiDemoriam 

touches me very deeply. It is indeed an honor 
which I appreciate, and I rejoice at being afforded 
an opportunity to testify to the high character and 
great achievements of that dear friend, with whom 
I was so intimately associated here in this Capitol. 

So vivid and so deep is the impression he made 
during the years of that association that it seems but 
yesterday that he stood towering in the center aisle 
there, his voice reverberating through the uttermost 
spaces of this great chamber, welding the laws of 
New York. It seems but yesterday that he gath- 
ered us about him in our leisure hours and won and 
held our deep affection. It is difficult for us to 
understand that we shall never again experience that 
inspiring and delightful human contact. And now 
that we long to tell the world our estimate of him, 1, 
for one, realize that my poor words must fall far 
short of describing that picture of him which will 
reside in my mind as long as I shall live. 

It cannot be denied that heredity and environ- 
ment are powerful factors in the formation of charac- 
ter and habit of mind; and in order to possess an 
intelligent understanding of Mr. Merritt, we must 
take into consideration these elements in relation to 
him. His forbears were of sturdy American stock — 
simple, God-fearing, self-reliant, typical of the early 
pioneers. His father — who still lives, honored and 
respected by thousands of his fellow citizens in his 
old age — has for years been a commanding figure in 

30 



£t)wln a. riDerritt 3r. 

Northern New York. By occupation an out-door 
man who in the early days helped blaze the way 
through the northern wilderness, he transmitted to 
his son a vigor and strength of constitution remark- 
able even in a country renowned for its strong men; 
and that simplicity and directness of mental opera- 
tion so characteristic of the early American. The 
father, true to the type, from earlj^ manhood has 
maintained an active and intelligent interest in public 
affairs. He has been a friend and confidant of lead- 
ing Americans since the days of the great Civil War, 
has held high positions of trust and power, and has 
been a leader of thought and moulder of opinion in 
that great northern country in which he has lived so 
long and which he loves so well. 

It is not surprising, therefore, that the son, 
whose memory we now revere, drew inspiration in his 
early manhood from the example of his sire and 
found himself equipped with the same attributes of 
public spirit and devotion to country. Born in 
1860, he attained manhood at a time when it was 
still possible for him to absorb a vivid conception 
from his father and his father's neighbors of those 
great principles which were fought for and vindicated 
in the trying days of the '60s. He absorbed readily 
the story of sacrifice and heroism relating to those 
times, and from that story he learned the great prin- 
ciples of human liberty upon which this republic was 
founded. Through all his active life he never ceased 

31 



II n fiDemoriam 

deriving inspiration from the deeds of the generation 
just preceding him, and he never wavered in his 
admiration and reverence of the men who saved the 
nation. There was no more potent influence in his 
life than his contact with those men. By their 
example he was inspired to that simple manly cour- 
age which was his predominating trait. 

Graduating from Yale College at New Haven, 
Conn., in 1884, he joined his father at London, 
where the latter at that time was holding the high 
and responsible position of Consul-General of the 
United States. After spending a j'ear assisting his 
father in that interesting and broadening atmosphere, 
he returned to his home in Potsdam, St. Lawrence 
county, and immediately embarked upon that active 
career in which he later gained such distinction. 

Although actively engaged in business, he found 
time to take jiart in the public affairs of the com- 
munity in which he lived. In fact, the stress and 
contention of politics, and the satisfaction of public 
service well jjerformed. held a peculiar fascination for 
him; and, commencing with his election to the St. 
Lawrence County Hoard of Supervisors, he was con- 
tinuously in public Ufe until the day of his death. 
His strength of mind, his clarity of vision and his 
integrity soon made their impression upon the i)eople 
of St. Lawrence and in 1002 he was elected a Member 
of Assembly from the district in which he resided. 
From that year up to and including the legislative 

32 



jeowin a. riDcrritt 3r. 

session of 1912, his constituents, with unwavering 
confidence in him as their representative, continued 
to send him to the State Capitol. 

It was in this chamber the great work of his hfe 
was performed. It was in this arena that he made 
his name known over the length and breadth of this 
great State; and while he was later promoted to a 
wider field of activity at the national capital at Wash- 
ington, his place in history rests upon the services he 
rendered in the Assembly. 

So long was his service, so many and varied the 
legislative tasks which he undertook and carried to a 
successful completion, that time will not permit upon 
this occasion an attempt upon my part to recite them 
all. With no thought of minimizing the importance 
of his efforts in a score of directions, it shall be my 
endeavor to set forth that achievement of his which 
his colleagues considered the greatest of all and which 
has exercised a most profound effect upon the govern- 
ment of the State of New York. 

It is a matter of history that the dawn of the 
new century was signalized by a remarkable and 
almost phenomenal development of the economic 
and industrial life of America. That period will go 
down in history as the one which witnessed the for- 
mation of great combinations of capital and gigantic 
organizations for the carrying on of industry in all its 
branches. The intricacies of modern civilization 
seem to have made this development logical and 

33 



In flDemoriam 

therefore inevitable. This growth, however, created 
evils new and unlooked for in our civic life. So 
powerful did these organizations become that they 
appeared in the minds of many to constitute a grave 
danger to our form of government. As they grew, 
so did the public impression grow that unless a 
remedy was applied, self-government would be 
poisoned at its source. 

When Merritt took his seat in the Assembly 
in 1902 the first mutterings, as it were, of the storm 
which was to break over American politics could be 
heard by the discriminating eju-. In later years 
Merritt's friends learned that he, almost from the 
da}' of taking his scat in this chamber, saw the 
cloud upon the horizon and commenced preparing 
himself to take i)art in the solution of the mighty 
problem which he felt would confront the people 
later on. It is not necessary for me to describe in 
detail the rise of that great wave of public sentiment 
which finally brought to bear such irresistible pressure 
for the solution of the problem of the relations exist- 
ing between the public, on the one hand, and the 
great jjublic service corporations created by the 
pubhc, upon the other We know now that the 
demand for a remedy which was fiercely and irre- 
sistibly made at that time had its justification in the 
misdeeds and abuse of power on the part of some 
who cynically disregarded the sensibilities and the 
rights of the average man. 

34 



leDwin a. flDerritt 3r. 

Those of us who served in the legislative sessions 
of 1905-1906 can never forget the tension and stress 
of those days when the storm reached its greatest 
fury. Some there were who i^ersisted in maintaining 
an attitude of indifference and declaring that it 
would blow over in good time. There were even 
some, although their number was few, who refused 
to admit that there was anything genuine or im- 
portant in the demand of the hour. The great 
majority of men in public life at that time, however, 
realized that mighty forces were at work and that 
something must be done to meet the sentiment of 
the people — and prevent chaos. 

It is true also that the great majority of men, 
buffeted by the contending forces and perplexed by 
conflicting counsel, were groping in the dark, con- 
scious of their unpreparedness. Of all the men in 
the New York Legislature of those days, Merritt 
seemed to have the clearest conception of the situ- 
ation, and, starting almost alone in his efforts, he 
proceeded to lay the foundation for a great piece of 
constructive legislation which we believe today has 
solved the problem. 

It was characteristic of Merritt 's viewpoint 
toward life in general that he should believe in the 
power of government, and that he should contend 
that government should exercise its power to do a 
certain thing when no other agency is capable of 
doing that thing. For four years he had been a 

35 



Hn fiDemoriam 

keen observer of the play of contending forces in and 
about the Legislature and the State Government. 
He weighed and analyzed the good and the bad, the 
useful and the useless, and when he had made up his 
mind to act, he knew what ought to be done and 
where the power resided. 

His first move in the direction which he had 
marked out attracted little public attention, but to 
those who knew his i)urj)0sc and his mind, it was 
of vast significance. During the administration of 
Governor Higgins, Merritt introduced a bill in the 
Assembly providing that all the expenses incident to 
the support of the then existing State llailroad Com- 
mission should be borne by the treasury of the State 
instead of requiring the railroad companies to meet 
the expense of supervision, as was then the case. 
He stood almost alone in his contention. Men said, 
" If we are to discipline these corporations, why do 
we commence by relieving them of this comparatively 
light burden?" Mcrritfs answer was that the gov- 
ernment must shortly jissume new powers of super- 
vision and regulation over these corporations, and in 
preparation for that day the government must free 
itself of any sense of obligation, however remote, 
toward the corporations which it proposed to regulate. 
This act of Assemblyman Merritt, while failing 
of success for the moment, was the jilanting of the 
seed in the legislative mind. More and more from 
that time, men listened to his i)roposal and came 

36 



jetJwtn a. flDcrrltt 3r. 

to recognize its ultimate wisdom. Events moved 
quicklj'. The pressure was enormous. In 1905 a 
special committee of the Legislature was appointed 
to investigate the distribution and the sale of illumin- 
ating gas by public service corporations in the city of 
New York. The work of this committee attracted 
wide attention. Merritt was one of its strongest 
members. By far the most significant act resulting 
from this investigation was the drafting and final 
enactment of a bill entrusting to a State Commission, 
known at the time as the *' State Gas Commission," 
the function and duty of regulating the rates charged 
for illuminating gas and electricity by all the lighting 
companies of the State. The strong hand of Merritt 
was readily seen in the provisions of this bill. It was 
his first definite proposal directed toward the solution 
of this great problem. Imperfect in many respects, 
it, nevertheless, amounted to a declaration on the 
part of the government of New York that henceforth 
it intended to exercise its powers. 

I remember well the gratification which Merritt 
derived from this acceptance of the principle which 
he had laid down a year before and which had met 
such discouragement. And I remember well the in- 
tense gratification which came to him in the following 
year, in 1907, when the newly-elected Governor of 
New York, Charles E. Hughes, laid such tremendous 
emphasis upon the necessity for a solution of this 
sort to be applied over a much wider field. Merritt 

37 



tin fiDemoriam 

hastened to his support, confident that, through the 
great influence and abihty of that exceptional Execu- 
tive, success would come, as come it did. 

He was one of tlie responsible authors of the 
Public Service Commissions bill of 1907. He worked 
in collaboration with others, day after day, and week 
after week, until that measure was complete. His 
influence can be read in ever>' line of it. When it 
was enacted into law, it bore his name jointly with 
that of Senator Page. If I may be ])ermitted to 
express an opinion, this law, establishing as it did 
a standard of relationship between the government, 
representing all the people on one hand, and the 
railways, the street railways, the gas companies and 
electric lighting companies on the other, is the 
greatest monument of the four years of the adminis- 
tration of Governor Hughes. 

Merritt's work did not end with this achieve- 
ment. The following year the Legislature appointed 
a special committee to investigate the feasibility of 
bringing the telejjhone and telegraph companies 
under the jurisdiction of the Commission. Merritt 
was one of the strong men on that committee 
and was largely instrumental in drafting the bill 
reported by that committee and almost immediately 
enacted, extending the power of the public service 
commissions over the wire companies. 

The student of government will admit that 
Mr. Merritt, in inaugurating this great movement 

38 



jet>win a. flDerrttt 3r, 

in 1905, assisting powerfully in its progress through 
1906-1907-1908, performed a service for the State of 
New York of immeasurable importance. During all 
that struggle, through all the varying phases of the 
conflict in which he took part, two of his traits of 
character stood out conspicuously: First, his clear 
courage ; he never faltered, he never wavered, no 
matter what the obstacle. Second, his lack of 
vanity; he had convictions, deep-rooted and sound, 
but he had no false pride or conceit. He never 
claimed or demanded special recognition for his 
achievement. In fact, of all eminently successful 
men, men endowed with power and subject to the 
temptations which go with it, Memtt was the least 
vain. His simplicity, directness, and his sense of 
humor, saved him from that which has destroyed 
or impaired the usefulness of many a distinguished 
man. 

In order to give some idea of the tremendous 
and varied work which INIerritt did in the Assembly, 
in addition to the great achievement which I have 
attempted to describe, it should be noted that he 
was, first, Chairman of the Committee on Agricul- 
ture, then Chairman of the Committee on General 
Laws, Chairman of the Committee on Railroads, 
Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, 
which at that time carried with it the majority leader- 
ship, and which he held for three years; minority 
leader in 1911 and finally Speaker of the Assembly 

39 



In fIDcmoriam 

in 1912. The State will not forj^et the great work he 
did in helping to revise the Highway Law and inau- 
gurating the building of improved highways through- 
out the commonwealth. Nor will the State forget the 
three years of arduous service he rendered in helping 
to formulate the financial policy of the State as ex- 
pressed in the ajjpropriation bills. The burden he 
carried was enormous. Only a man of his great 
mental and i)hysical strength could have stood up 
under it. His career in the Assembly culminated in 
his election to the Speakership. 

He wiLs i)ermitted to hold that difficult and 
responsible position for but one year. The death of 
his long-time friend, George II. Malby, left vacant 
the seat in Congress held by that representative of 
the North Country congressional district. It was 
inevitable that the people of that district should 
demand that Merritt represent them in Washington. 
They did so demand and he accjuiesced and accepted 
an election to Congress from his district. 

I think it is accurate to say that he left Albany 
with reluctance. He felt that he was entering upon 
a new and strange field, although he deeply appre- 
ciated the honor and the opportunity. He was 
familiar with this atmosphere here in the Capitol 
where he had spent the greater i)art of his public life, 
where he had impressed himself upon the life of the 
State which he loved ; here were his intimate friends — 
and their name was legion. He felt that other tasks 

40 



le&win a. flDerritt 3r. 

awaited his efforts here ; he felt that the State had 
not as yet solved the highway problem ; he realized 
that the financial operations of the State were subject 
to vast improvement ; that the questions of taxation, 
income and expenditure needed close study and 
application. He longed to address himself to this 
work, but his sense of duty to his people at home, 
his gratitude for their loyalty and friendship, com- 
pelled him to reMnquish his work here and assume 
the duties of a national legislator. 

It is a matter of record that he quickly assumed 
a prominent place in the House of Representatives. 
Although a member of the minority, his strength 
and wisdom were soon recognized by his colleagues, 
a fact which is made evident by his appointment to 
the great Committee on Rules of the lower house at 
Washington shortly after he took his seat. 

He had scarcely embarked upon a career of use- 
fulness and distinction in the national Congress, when, 
with a suddenness that is incomprehensible, he was 
attacked by a combination of maladies which called 
forth eveiy atom of his gigantic strength of will and 
physique to combat. Accompanied by his faithful, 
loving wife, he was taken to the Sanitarium at Dans- 
ville, near my own home, in Livingston county. 
There he waged a battle which can never be forgotten 
by those of us who from time to time were permitted 
to see him. His great frame stricken and shattered 
to an inconceivable degree, his mighty intellect never 

41 



II n fiDemonam 

lost its clarity, his soul never lost its courage. For 
thirteen months he endured physical and mental 
suffering seldom demanded of a human being. Crisis 
after crisis was surmounted through the might of his 
will power. Naturally a somewhat impatient man 
in the ordinary walks of life, he yielded to the neces- 
sities of his plight with a confiding trust and patience 
which was sublime. He knew his loving fiimily and 
faithful attendants were struggling bravely all through 
those weary months to save him, and he set himself to 
help them help him. Tiie time came in the autumn 
of 1914 when it seemed that his efforts and those of 
his loved ones had been crowned with victory. With 
indomitable courage and implicit confidence, he 
started on his journey homeward. I shall never 
forget the day of his departure and the words he 
uttered on that occasion : "I have won my fight; I 
am going back to my people; I have work to do." 

He was renominated and re-elected to Congress 
by a constituency who had known him all his life 
and loved him best. The future looked brigiit, and 
then, suddenly, when we were all filled with confi- 
dence that he would live to attain an even higher 
degree of usefulness and distinction, his malady 
returned in a new and unexpected form, and after a 
brief but heroic struggle, he succumbed to the will of 
an all-wise Providence. 

His father is left stricken and without the sus- 
taining hand of his great son in his old age; his wife 

42 



leowin a. flDcrritt 3r. 

and daughter are crushed with gnef. Hundreds of us, 
his former associates, have lost a dear friend ; and the 
reahzation of our loss quickens and deepens the 
sympathy which we extend to his devoted family in 
this trying hour. Our consolation must be that we 
men who knew him are better men, and this State a 
better State, because he lived. 



^ 



Selection, by the double quartette, ' ' Beautiful 
Isle of Somewhere. ' ' 

Somewhere the sun is shining. 
Somewhere the songbirds dwell ; 
Hush, then, thy sad repining, 
God lives, and all is well ! 



Somewhere, somewhere, 

Beautiful isle of somewhere ; 

Land of the true, where we live anew ; 

Beautiful isle of somewhere. 



Somewhere the load is lifted. 
Close by an open gate; 
Somev/here the clouds are rifted. 
Somewhere the angels wait. 



Somewhere, somewhere. 

Beautiful isle of somewhere ; 

Land of the true, where we live anew; 

Beautiful isle of somewhere. 

43 



In HDemortam 

Speakf.k Swekt: 

With the pronouncing of the benediction, the 
services of the evening will close. 

Rev. Hajiiltox: 

The peace of God, which passeth all understand- 
ing, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge 
and love of God, and of his Son, .Tesus Christ, Our 
Lord, and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and 
remain with you always. Amen. 



44 



{Public fiDeeting 

f n flScmorB of 

Monorable Ebwtti E. fIDertitt Jr. 

Held at 

IDillage Hall, potsJ)am, m. 1?. 
IDecember 14, 1914 



public Meeting at Ipotsbam 




IN INFORMAL PUBLIC MEETING 

to pay tribute to the memory of the late 
Hon. Edwin A. Merritt Jr., Representa- 
tive in Congress, was held in Village Hall, Potsdam, 
St. I^awrence county, N. Y., on the evening of 
December 14, 1914. The meeting was attended by 
personal friends and neighbors of Congressman Mer- 
ritt. Hon. Clarence S. Ferris presided as chairman 
of the meeting and Howard E. Thompson acted as 
Secretary. Judge Ferris opened the meeting with 
the following remarks : 

"We have come together at this time to pay 
fitting tribute to the memory of our deceased friend. 

"For many years he had been in the public 
service. He had attained great influence with all 
with whom he was associated. His sei'vices to the 
State have left their impress on much important leg- 
islation, and our laws are better for his having had 
a part in framing them. 

" At some future time, I assume, appropriate 
services will be held by the House of Representatives, 
which will emphasize and commemorate the value of 
his public service. However, these services must be, 
to some extent, different 

47 



In fiDemoriam 

"While we, as his neighbors, appreciate his great 
service as a pubhc servant, we think of him more as a 
friend and famiUar figure in our midst, who has sud- 
denly been removed by death. It is most fitting that 
we should meet here to-night to give expression of 
his worth, not only as a public official, but as a friend 
whom we loved and whose death we mourn." 

Dii, F. L. Dewey: 

Mr. Chairman, Friends and Neighbors — We are 
gathered here to-night to express our sincere and 
honest sorrow over the demise of Honorable Edwin 
A. Merritt Jr., Representative of this district in Con- 
gress. To each and every one of us his death brings 
a sense of pei*sonal loss. Long and serious as had 
been his illness, the announcement that his si)irit had 
taken its flight and passed on over the Great Divide 
came jis a surprise and a shock. 

To me he had always been " liig Ed. Merritt," 
tireless, undaunted and invincible. Born in the foot- 
hills of our own Adirondacks, passing his boyhood life 
in Potsdam, he was a simple, plain North Country 
gentleman. Completing his course in our Normal 
school, which owes its existence to the efforts of his 
father, he piissed on to Yale university. Graduating 
there in due course, he supplemented his school and 
university training by travel abroad and efficient and 
successful work in the consular service. 

I first met Ed. Merritt in the fall of 1885. 
He impressed me then as a great big, whole-souled 

48 



]e^^vin a. fIDerritt 3r. 

fellow. We read law together in the offices of John 
G. Mclntyre, and the association there formed led to 
a lifelong friendship. With his training and inherited 
tendencies it was natural that he should early turn 
his attention to the field of politics. His ability and 
fitness for public service were soon recognized, and 
once given an opportunity to prove his worth, his 
constituents never consented to his return to private 
life. 

Ed. Merritt was an educated and cultivated 
man. It will surprise many of his friends to know 
that during his long illness he passed many hours 
in reading the classics. Nothing gave him greater 
pleasure than to read or to recite a favorite passage to 
his friends who came to call upon him. Yet he spent 
his life largely among men and affairs. Never posing 
as an orator, he was never a "victim of words nor a 
phrasesmith. " Never, as an editorial in the Neiv 
York Sun read, was he afflicted with the ' ' pen and 
mouth disease. " He was simple and direct in thought 
and action; frank, truthful, and free from cowardice. 
Naturally he had an unconscious courage. He was 
an excellent judge of men and measures, and never 
have I known a man in this State who in the halls 
of legislation or in the marts of trade won a larger or 
more loyal following. The attendance at his funeral 
bore silent testimony to this. 

Strenuous at times as were his political contests 
they never left bitterness or revengeful feelings with 

49 



II n fiDemorlam 

him. He was always charitable to all, and many a 
poor soldier and bereft widow today will miss the 
efforts which Ed. Merritt was wont to put forth in 
their behalf. Not always understood or appreciated 
by his own townsmen, among all the multitudes who 
knew him in boyhood and in manliood, in private 
and in public life, not one can recall a mean, vindic- 
tive or deceitful word. Sincere in his beliefs, faithful 
to his convictions, steadfast in his friendships, he was 
loyal to every cause he esi)oused. His life has made 
many a man happier, his example will make many 
better, and his service to his const it uencj' and to 
this State will endure so long as our North Country 
shall last. 

Hon. Edward A. Everett: 

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — Putting our 
thoughts in language tliat will properly express our 
feelings toward a departed friend is indeed a hard 
task. I first became acquainted with Ed. Merritt 
about thirty-five years ago, from an accidental meet- 
ing while enjoying an outing in the woods on llaquette 
river and our relationship ripened into a friendship 
that was mutually enjoyed. He was of the type of 
manhood that briglitened with use and there was 
always something tliat linked us closer together after 
each meeting. We were interested in the business 
affairs of each other, not as actual business partners 
but from a true feeling of desire to help each other. 

£0 



ie&win H. flDerritt 3r. 

It has been truly said that character is not made in a 
day, neither is it ]30ssible for one to become acquainted 
with character that is worth while in a short period of 
time. The individuals who stand out in prominence 
the world over are the ones whose honesty and sim- 
plicity first attract you and whose gigantic ability to 
perform their tasks afterward impresses you. Woi'ds 
of praise can be used in the description of anybody 
who has ceased to exist, but truthful words describing 
a character that had to do with all of the different 
phases of human nature and came through without 
a scar is indeed the exception. This I can, however, 
say truthfully concerning our departed friend and 
fellow townsman, Ed. Merritt. His ambition may 
have mapped out a task that his early departure 
left uncompleted but the honestj^ of purpose in every 
day's transaction is well defined in the course of his 
everyday life and I sincerely offer him the following 
tribute. "Here's to Ed. Merritt, born in this world 
of trouble and care, dies and he goes, he knows not 
where ; but he was a thoroughbred here and he will 
be a thoroughbred there." 

Mr, Harry M. Ingram: 

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — It is difficult 
for me to talk upon this occasion. I cannot properly 
give expression to my feelings. I must be content 
with stating some personal facts. Had Congressman 
Merritt lived until the first day of January next, I 

51 



Tin flDemorlam 

would have been associated with him as his partner 
in tlie practice of hiw for six j'ears. Except for the 
fact that Mr. Merritt, then a member of the Assem- 
bly, had asked me to come to Potsdam and form a 
law partnership, I would probably be practicing in 
another part of the State at this time. He wanted to 
maintain a law office. He told me it was a desire 
which he had long entertained and in the expectation 
of its fulfilment he had kept together the old Dart & 
Erwin and the Tappan law libraries. I went to 
Potsdam and looked over the library and met some 
of the people of the village. Finallj% I made up my 
mind to locate here, and 1 did so. Our law firm 
dated from January 1, 1909. During the years we 
were together I learned to know Mr. Merritt as I 
had never known him before. I came to realize more 
than ever his great broadness of mind, the vastness 
of his intellect, and, above all, perhaps, the extraor- 
dinary kindliness and warmth of his most unusual 
personality. I shall always prize the recollections of 
my friendship with him. 1 feel tiiat. under the cir- 
cumstances, I can never regret that I came to Pots- 
dam as I (lid. 

It w!Ls perhaps my fortune to have seen Mr. 
Merritt in the performance of his duties at Albanj' 
more than any other person here to-night. I know the 
great subjects and works of importance to the people 
of the State with which he labored during the years, 
and i)articularly the latter years, of his service in the 

52 



iet)win a. riDerritt 3r. 

Assembly; he was regarded as the leader, not only 
of the Assembly, but, by many, the leader of the 
Legislature. Often I have felt that the people of his 
home county did not at all appreciate the prominence 
of their representative in the Legislature. I had this 
same feeling regarding the late Senator Malby. 
Malby and Merritt were indeed a strong and powerful 
combination of representatives for any county to have 
in the State Legislature at the same time. No 
wonder the county of St. Lawrence became so 
widely known in political and State affairs. These 
men had an unusual State-wide acquaintance. Their 
suggestions, advice and counsel were sought and 
heeded. When Congressman Malby passed suddenly 
away, St. Lawrence county and the whole North 
Countrj^ felt keenly its great loss, but was comforted, 
in a measure, in the thought that Mr. Merritt re- 
mained. In the death of Mr. Merritt, so soon 
after, we will feel more than ever the loss of Mr. 
Malby, and now that both are gone we have indeed 
much reason to mourn. It requires years of time for 
a county to prepare for public life two such men as 
these — strong men, influential legislators, representa- 
tive citizens. 

Mr. Merritt made a wonderful fight for life. 
He wanted so much to enter upon the public service 
again. His plans were all made for the future. 
We can rejoice in the fact that such a man, stricken 
down largely because of overwork in the service of 

53 



In fiDemoriam 

the people, was permitted to end his days still in the 
service. His vast plurality at the Noveniher election 
and the great tribute rendered him at his funeral are 
worthy testimonials of the general and sincere esteem 
in which Congressman Merritt was held by the voters 
of his Congressional District and his associates in 
public life. 

Mr. John L. Brown: 

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — I knew Mr. 
Merritt verj-^ well and counted him one of my best 
friends. During his stay in Albany I had occasion 
to write him several times. Some of my letters were 
on matters that seemed to me quite small and 1 am 
sure must have seemed to him very small and trivial 
but I always received a prompt reply. Several of 
these replies I prized very highly as they were not 
cold, expressionless, typewritten letters, dictated by 
**E, A. M.," but were personal, pen- written letters 
that made one feel that in tiio writer he had a friend 
wortli wiiile. 

In the passing of Mr. Merritt I know I have 
lost, and I believe we all have lost, a big-hearted, 
loyal, personal friend. 

Mr. Sylvester Nicolette: 

Mr. Chairman — I met Mr. Merritt and began 
to work for him many years ago. He was always 
my good friend. I had many business dealings witli 
him and my contracts were for many thousand dollars 



iet>win H. fIDerritt 3r. 

in labor and construction work. Always I found him 
fair in settlement and in adjusting any questions 
which might arise. I can say the same also of Mi. 
Tappan, who was his partner in the work at Hannawa 
Falls. We never had any difficulties about our work. 
It was a great pleasure to work for such men as these. 
They always treated me squarely and paid every 
cent owing to me for all the work I did for them. 
From my dealings with Mr. Merritt I can say of him 
that he was the most honest man 1 ever knew. 



Remarks were also made by Mr. John Pert, 
President of the Village of Potsdam; Mr. F. L. 
Cubley, Dr. F. T. Swan, Dr. George H. Sweet, 
Mr. C. E. Haywood and Mr. E. M. Perkins. 



65 



"Resolutions HDopteb 

bB tbc 

HDcmbers of tbe Bar of IPotsbam 

on December 7, 1914 



Resolved, That the members of the bar of Pots- 
dam feel deep sorrow :it tlie untimely death of Hon. 
Edwin A. Merritt Jr. Tliat they have long felt pride 
in his ability and power. 

That they appreciate the value of his many serv- 
ices and deei)ly dojilore his loss. They realize that 
he has left a void that cannot well be filled. 

The many ])ublic cai)acities in which he has acted 
are too well known to need enumeration here, and in 
all of them he has reflected credit and honor upon this 
community as well jis upon the State. 

Resolved That we extend our deepest sympathy 
to his bereaved family. 

L. E. Wadi.eigh, 

Chairman of Committee. 

Wm. H. McCormuk, 

Secretary. 

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